When the Cup-holders from Fort Wayne and their new rival, the legendary Red Stockings, were placed on opposite ends of the Cup quarterfinals bracket, many fans fancied a rematch, only this time in the semifinals. Only one problem: nobody asked how Altoona and Elizabeth how
they felt about this idea.
In the Mountain City for Game 1 of the quarters, Cincy took a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. But Altoona struck back with single runs in the seventh and eighth, then won the game in the ninth on a George Price single. Back at the Palace of the Fans, the Red Stox looked to restore order with a crushing 10-3 victory, with Jimmy Hallinan delivering four hits. In the deciding game, reigning PoY and MVP Bill Black held Altoona to only five hits, but poor fielding (including back-to-back errors in the fifth) gave Mountain City a stunning 4-2 win, eliminating the Red Stockings.
Meanwhile, in Waverly, New Jersey, after having split the first two games, the Kekiongas and the Resolutes did battle in the deciding third game. It was no contest, as Elizabeth's Will Calihan held Fort Wayne to five hits in a 7-1 win, as the Keks joined the Reds on the sidelines.
The semifinal matchup wound up going the full five games. The first two games in the Mountain City resembled tennis scores: 6-1, Altoona and 6-0, Elizabeth. In Game 3, Calihan was looking at a shut out, having allowed Altoona no runs in eight frames. But in the ninth, Joe Stanley doubled, then with two out, Jim Tray lined a triple (fittingly), then scored on an error to tie the game. Then in the tenth, Altoona scored twice more and held on, 4-2. In Game 4, though, Mountain City had more errors (5) than hits (3) as Elizabeth forced a fifth game, 5-2.
In Game 5, Altoona scored twice in the top of the sixth to take a 3-1 lead, but the Resolutes struck back with four tallies on only one hit -- and three errors, two walks and a passed ball. Demoralized, Altoona could offer no more resistance and Elizabeth won, 6-3, punching their ticket to their first-ever Centennial Cup Final.
